Gifts of the Spirit
- 17 hours ago
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Reflection for Pentecost Sunday by Fr. Earl Valdez
Where do talents come from and how do they define success in life? I don’t think that there’s an easy answer to this, especially since it concerns the debate over nature versus nurture. Of course, the best formula for success would be having it “in one’s genes” which comes with the best opportunities or chances of unlocking and honing those potentials. However, that’s not often the case. There are people who have magnificent talent, but do not have the opportunities to be successful because of them. The reverse also happens, in which there are so many opportunities but one’s giftedness or talent does not come out.
At the end of the day, we do not know for sure, because between these two factors, there are many in-betweens: chance events and opportunities (or their deprivation), timing, and just mere “luck.” Some celebrities are discovered by chance, some are not. Students are recognized only by their excellence in the subjects taught at school, or possibly when they join sports teams. It seems that life does appear as a game, and in computing parlance, it’s similar to playing a game that depends on random number generation (RNG), in which every moment presents millions of possibilities, and there are always areas of uncertainty despite having well-planned strategies for living.
Perhaps the living conditions we are in make it difficult to imagine how and in what way all of us are gifted with the Spirit. Today’s feast reminds us of this basic truth, but one that is so hard to grasp. If we are so gifted, then why is it difficult to appreciate that the spirit grants us “the gift of tongues”? If we are so gifted, then why couldn’t we all be the best? Why could we not be the best at everything that we want to do? If we are so gifted, then why is it more evident that we are so limited?
Our Christian faith, however, sees things differently. Beyond the question between nurture and culture, we hold on to the fact that the Lord has something prepared for us, and has in mind what we can and cannot do, and the best versions of our own selves. Beyond the question of being the most gifted or talented, the Spirit guides us toward realizing our limited selves, but bearing different capabilities to be witnesses to the Gospel. And in fact, we can see that the Pentecost event is just the beginning of the whole story of the Church, built up by people who may not be so great and successful in the eyes of the world, but have done great things through which others recognize the love and mercy of Christ.
Thus, from seeing our lack, our faith moves us to see the goodness and the talent in us. Some of them may not be rewarded by the world, but the Lord believes that all that we are, both as individuals and as a community, leads back to Him. He calls us to affirm and embrace who we are and how our capabilities, and even the lack thereof, lead us and others to faith. After all, our talents and capabilities are only means to a greater end: to respond to the Lord’s call to be truly ourselves and through it, carry the message of the Gospel.
At the end of the day, nothing about our faith changes the way the world sees us and our talents. It’s still a game of random numbers, as we encounter random circumstances in each day of our lives which could either allow or hinder our flourishing towards who we truly are. Yet, the Lord calls us not to forget that each day is an opportunity to be led by the Spirit to things that are greater that we can see or perceive. The saints, in their lives, have shown us that true holiness is far from achieving the perfection of being or the fullness of our talents; the story of our Church shows us that being truly ourselves as creatures does not always follow from trying to be the best in everything.
Rather, all it requires is an appreciation of our particular uniqueness as people called by the Spirit. When we begin from this, it seems that whatever talents we have and the opportunities that would bring us to success becomes secondary. What is of importance is how we can build up the Church through each other’s capabilities, believing that the Spirit grants us these in order to first share our lives with each other and be witnesses to the Lord’s Gospel.
I’ve seen this happen in many youth groups and ministries in which the simplest and “useless” talents were important elements in building up their community. The same goes with religious communities whose members see the giftedness in each other and help each other to improve and grow with them. The witness of these communities call us to see our own selves and the communities to which we belong as filled with the Spirit’s gifts, and are called to make them flourish not for ourselves and for our own success alone, but also and importantly for others.
From this perspective, it appears that our giftedness is not a result of a set of random circumstances at all. Rather, we see that the Spirit gifts and guides us toward improving our capabilities to build up the Church, and even if it is insignificant for the world or lacking due to circumstances, it is still of value in the eyes of God. We pray for the grace to be able to see and accept this. Amen.
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